Hockey For Dummies

A primer on the sport for casual fans caught up in River Hawk mania

Hockey sticks belonging to UMass Lowell players line the wall behind the bench at the Tsongas Center during a recent River Hawk practice.

LOWELL -- So you've heard the UMass Lowell hockey team is two wins from the school's first Division 1 national championship.

You know it's a big deal. You know plenty of people caught up in the River Hawks' rise to the Hockey East regular season and playoff championships, and then NCAA Tournament wins over Wisconsin and UNH.

There's just one thing stopping you from jumping on the bandwagon: You don't know much about hockey. No problem. We're here to help.

Here's some things you should know before UML takes on Yale in a Frozen Four semifinal Thursday in Pittsburgh:

Puck: A disk made of vulcanized rubber. It's the object players hit with their sticks. Pucks are black, one inch thick, three inches in diameter, and weigh six ounces.

Follow the puck and you'll follow the action. Of course, that can be easier said than done -- some pro players can "slap" a puck more than 100 miles per hour.

20: Number of players in uniform for each team. UML and Yale will dress two goaltenders (only will play, the other will sit on the bench), 12 forwards and six defensemen. Six players are allowed on the ice and at time.

200-by-85: That's the ice surface size of the Consol Energy Center, the home of the Frozen Four and the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. The rink is 200 feet long and 85 feet wide.

Penalty box: This is the spot in the arena where players are sent for infractions called penalties. In most instances, players are sent off the ice for two minutes.

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Tripping, slashing and interference are some commonly-called penalties.

Power play: This is an advantage given when an opposing player is called for a penalty, usually for two minutes. Normally, the advantage is a 5-on-4 one (goalies aren't counted). The team shorthanded tries to "kill" off the penalty.

Colored lines: The rink in Pittsburgh will be divided by the red line. It will also feature two blue lines and five faceoff circles. Teams that carry the puck over the red line are allowed to dump the puck into their opponent's zone. If they don't reach the red line, they will be called for "icing" and a faceoff will be held inside their zone.

Offsides: A player carrying the puck into an opponent's zone has to be the first one into that zone. If a teammate goes into the zone before the puck, offsides is called and play is stopped.

Icing: What's on the cake at the winning team's victory party. No, just kidding. When the puck is shot into the offensive zone from beyond the red line and is touched first by a defensive player, a faceoff is called in the offending team's zone.

Faceoff: A common occurrence in hockey. A faceoff is when a referee drops a puck between one player from each side to determine possession. Faceoffs occur after goals, as well as when the puck exits the playing area or when a goaltender ties up the puck.

Equipment: Generally speaking, forwards and defensemen will carry a stick, and wear the following: helmet/facemask, shoulder pads, elbow pads, jersey, pants, gloves, shin guards and skates. Goaltenders, meanwhile, wear different masks and skates. Their most noticeable equipment is the pads they wear over their legs.

Nets: Two nets are stationed at opposite sides of the rink. The teams which deposit the most pucks into their opponents' nets by game's end will win. Each net is four feet high and six feet wide. The person responsible for guarding the goal is the goaltender.

Periods: Games are divided into three, 20-minute stanzas called periods. After the first two periods, teams return to their locker rooms to take breaks. During he breaks, called intermissions, the ice is cleaned by Zamboni machines. If the game is tied at the end of 60 minutes, a 20-minute overtime period will be held. The first team to score in overtime (two college hockey games have gone into five overtimes) wins.

Zero: That's the number of NCAA Division 1 hockey titles the Frozen Four finalists -- UML, Yale, Quinnipiac and St. Cloud State -- have combined to win. So history will be made Saturday night.

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